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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429114">Ocean Sunrise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CutiePie4173/pseuds/CutiePie4173'>CutiePie4173</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is in love, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, Jedi Training, Pining, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey Needs A Hug, Soft Ben Solo, Who Knows?, ben isn't dead, epilogue to TROS, rey is oblivious, will it end in smut</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 19:07:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,787</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429114</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CutiePie4173/pseuds/CutiePie4173</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the First Order falls, Ben Solo went into hiding. He and Rey kept in touch, until a new discovery brings them together in an attempt to secure a future for the galaxy they saved. But Ben finds the company more distracting than helpful...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren &amp; Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey &amp; Ben Solo, Rey &amp; Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Routine Broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben tentatively opened one eye. His back was perfectly straight, body perfectly relaxed. He couldn’t help it, not under the circumstances. Ever since Rey had agreed to come train with him for a few months, he hadn’t really been able to keep himself from looking at her. He wasn’t quite sure why. They had built a lot of trust over the past two months - They spoke using the force almost daily and had become relaxed around one another. She was really there, levitating six feet in front of him deep in meditation. When she had first stepped off the Falcon, he wasn’t sure if this was the Force playing with his mind. At first, it had been a bit awkward - they hadn’t actually been in the same place since the battle with Palpatine.</p><p>And since that kiss. Damn it, he was thinking about it again. He had given so much of his strength, his energy, into saving her life. When she kissed him, he felt his entire soul leave his body. He didn’t remember much after that - only waking up in his father’s bunk in the Falcon with her sitting against the wall, fast asleep.</p><p>They had discussed that kiss. She assured him that it wasn’t anything to do with feelings - she was grateful and overwhelmed and happy. Part of him was disappointed in her answer, but for now he was grateful for her companionship. They were the only two trained force users left - they needed each other. When she had stepped off the ship, they exchanged polite conversation. Only after she quipped a sharp remark, and he replied in turn, did the awkwardness shed off and he found the courage to hug her properly.</p><p>Over the past few weeks, things had become easy again. Conversation was effortless. She had a sharp tongue and a tendency to say things without thinking them through, but he liked that about her. They would spend the mornings meditating and practicing non-physical force manipulation. Together, they found that lifting and moving objects was easy, no matter the size or weight. The afternoons had a more fiery passion, with constant saber battles and drills. She was his favorite opponent he had ever had, and the battles felt more like games to be won rather than survival. And nights were spent by the fire, philosophizing on Jedi texts and having the difficult conversations they should have had years ago.</p><p>They talked about Han, Luke, Leia. About wars past. She let him work through his emotions and come to grips with his crimes. They shared stories of loneliness, anger, hatred, pain. He was learning to let go of his anger. She was learning to believe that tomorrow would come. Often, nights would end with a tight embrace, tangible proof they were not alone in the universe, before bidding each other goodnight.</p><p>But he couldn’t stop staring at her now. The way the rocks circled her like planets around a star. She had such a bright, warm energy to her. She was sunlight - sunny and joyful and intense, but she could burn. And he was the ocean, a turbulent, ever-changing pit of darkness… But often a calming, reflecting surface for her energy. And he was grateful for her. She was truly his other half… Even if she didn’t feel anything toward him besides friendship.</p><p>He felt his body lowering as his focus disappeared. He landed softly, still in lotus position. He shifted so one leg laid out in front of him and the other was bent, and he leaned back on his hands. While she was busy… He let himself have a selfish moment.</p><p>No, she didn’t love him. She had said it so clearly that one night he had had the bravery to ask her about the kiss. But Kriff - he loved her. He would travel across the galaxy for her… And he had. He threw away his lightsaber, fought his own Knights of Ren, and gave up his entire life for her. She didn’t owe him anything and never would - his freedom from Snoke and the encompassing, choking hand of the dark side was more than enough. But… He couldn’t help but love her. The way she smiled at him or how she slowly did her hair just so or how she murmured in her sleep-</p><p>“Ben.”</p><p>The melodic stretch of his name snapped his eyes back to focus.</p><p>“You stopped meditating. Don’t tell me you’re getting lazy now.” Her eyes were open, and a peek of a smile shined through her false scolding. Her nose scrunched at him and the look of those freckles nearly sent him back into his daydreams. She elegantly broke her pose and stepped back onto the ground, head cocked slightly.</p><p>“Just a bit distracted today, I think,” he shrugged.</p><p>She walked toward him, hands on her hips. “A good Jedi can stay focused for days on end without distraction, Supreme Leader. I thought you would know that.”</p><p>He couldn’t suppress his smile back up at her. “Says the girl who always falls for feints during our fights, Scavenger.”</p><p>Their nicknames for each other would sting off anyone else’s lips, but not between them. It was almost their secret code, their word for each other. She offered a hand to help him stand, and he took it in his own. </p><p>That was something he had been more than happy about. He hadn’t been touched this much since he was a boy, wrestling with the other padawans when Luke wasn’t looking. After Snoke took over, he wore uniforms that covered every inch of skin, and everything became clean and militarized. No one ever touched him, especially not his bare flesh. Now she would touch him all the time. Little things, like brushing a leaf from his hair, or holding his hand as they worked on mind manipulation, or dressing his wounds when he was hurt from their fights. It was so familiar, so sweet. He treasured it. Maybe this is what relationships with others was supposed to be like - he didn’t know. He knew that this felt perfect with her. Especially with her small hand that fit so nicely in his larger ones.</p><p>“Do you want to go work on something else? I was reading about a technique for reading minds in one of the texts and I want to try it, if you’re up for it.” Her fingers slipped from his own, and he immediately missed their warmth.</p><p>“Sure. I’m still a little tired from clearing all that brush yesterday - we must’ve been at it for hours.” He turned and they began the short hike up to the caves overlooking the sea.</p><p>“Well, we’ll need a proper training ground when we start finding students. And I honestly think there will be a lot, especially once we get Finn trained with the basics, so we need a larger space,” she reasoned, plucking a stone from the path and tossing it aside.</p><p>“You do love looking into the far future. What if we can’t find any students?” Ben asked, immediately wishing he would put the words back in his throat.</p><p>Rey’s head dipped, but her pace stayed to match his. “…There will be. I know it.”</p><p>Ben sighed and looked her over. He felt bad about his negativity - Rey really wanted this temple to open and be successful. She said that younglings gave her purpose now that the wars were over and that they had a duty to all those who had passed on. While he wasn’t as sure as she was, he did want to fulfill a positive role. Maybe it would ease his conscience. He put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.</p><p>As they climbed up to the mouth of the cave, Rey stopped to stare, like she always did. “I still can’t believe you found it.”</p><p>Ben smiled proudly, stopping to look at the cave as well. Another cave of Kyber crystals. They were thought to have been long destroyed, but here, deep within some no-name system on a planet with barely any intelligent life, he had found it.</p><p>It had been an accident, really. While exploring different planets, trying to find one decent enough to hide out on, Ben had come upon a small child sitting on the docks of a nearby trading post. The child had a kyber crystal on a string around her neck. Despite his need to hide and disguise himself, he asked her where she had received such a necklace. She said her father had brought it back from an expedition - information he paid for by buying the little girl some sweets from another trader. A little Jedi mind trickery and some basic thievery later, he had the coordinates and had convinced the man never to return to the planet’s surface.</p><p>And now they stood in a place long thought extinct. When he had found it and managed to rig up another lightsaber, he had told Rey immediately. That was when the discussion of opening a Temple had begun. The resistance didn’t have much need for Rey anymore, as the work was now forming governments and empowering the people after the First Order had left. So, after some thought, Rey had shared the coordinates with Finn and Poe and agreed to join Ben to open the temple.</p><p>The galaxy would not always be at peace. As long as evil could exist, force users would be there to protect against it. </p><p>Ben and Rey had spent many nights discussing pedagogy and how to teach the history of the Jedi and the Sith. They had decided that since it was just the two of them, as far as they knew, they had some choice in how to teach the craft to the next generation. There was power in emotion and anger, but control was the key to mastery. They would teach the students how to resist those who would attempt to manipulate them. How to channel their anger and sadness. How to feel connection with others. While many saw the Force as a religion, it felt more like a philosophy. The two of them disagreed on many things about how best to teach potential padawans, but they agreed to work together on finding the best path forward.</p><p>Rey found a spot to sit by the edge of the cave where the sunlight could reach her and gestured for Ben to sit across from her. He followed suit and waited, expectantly.</p><p>“First, let me warm up a little. Try and pry open my mind, I’ll put up defenses.” Her smile was a bit too eager. They were very used to having nearly defenseless minds around each other now, but even so, Ben didn’t find much pleasure in pushing past her defenses anymore.</p><p>He wanted her to share her mind freely with him, all of it. Only him.</p><p>He refocused and nodded. Her eyes screwed shut and he watched as her muscles began to tense. Once he thought she was ready, he reached out a flexed hand. Her defenses were strong, stronger than when he first met her. She had locked him out of her mind. It was as if he was drifting through her mind, seeing the synapses firing and the gears turning, but every door was chained shut. At first, he attempted clever things, like looking for doors she hadn’t closed and images she wasn’t hiding, but he found nothing. Brute strength it is, then. He prepared himself to will the doors open-</p><p>But then his fingers brushed her temple.</p><p>Once again, without meaning to, his eyes opened and softened at the sight of her. She was so beautiful in this light. The way the breeze moved through her hair, how the sunlight sparkled off her freckles, how very small and fragile she looked. Her skin was so smooth and perfectly tanned by her days of training in the sun with him. Her lips looked so pink and oh, so soft… He felt himself leaning into her, less than six inches from her face now.</p><p>What if he just went for it? Would it ruin everything? Maybe she would understand. She was the only person he had ever met in his life that hadn’t tried to manipulate him. Yes, his mother and father loved him, but they wanted to control him and change him. They didn’t understand him like Rey. Could she really have no feelings for him at all? Would fate be so cruel as to make him fall for the one person who could not love him?</p><p>Maybe she didn’t love in that way at all. He knew some people didn’t love romantically. Somehow, that would make him feel better if that were the case. </p><p>But then… Maybe she did. Maybe she could. Maybe all it would take was one little spark, one gesture, for her to fall for him. Maybe he should kiss her soft, pink lips and hold her like he wanted to and tell her everything. How he wanted to be her romantic hero and her sexual demon and her best friend in the universe. All of it. He wanted her to belong to him and for her to be his master. He never wanted a day without her.</p><p>Her eyes flicked open. “Ben-“</p><p>Shit, he had gotten distracted! Before he let her utter another syllable, he mustered a bout of strength and cracked through her barrier, left weaker by her impatience. She uttered a small wince as he did so, eyes closing again.</p><p>“You think Finn will have a green saber when he eventually earns one.” He smirked, still inches from her face. His smirk faded as she stared back at him, the silence only broken by the sound of waves. He inhaled sharply and leaned back. “I only somewhat agree. There are many colors of sabers, Rey, and many shades as well. Deciphering exact meaning from them is somewhat a fools endeavor.”</p><p>She didn’t say anything back. She simply stared at him, expression wavering between confusion and curiosity, before nodding to herself once. He caught her expression and looked at her with untrusting eyes as she smiled calmly.</p><p>“My turn.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kriff</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey's powers are stronger than she thinks.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“My turn.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He quirked an eyebrow at her but regained a hint of a roguish smirk as he sat back up perfectly straight. “Alright, Scavenger, whenever you’re ready.” He knew that she had beaten him in this game in the past, but recently he had found his mind could be locked tight against her. “Come get me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ben felt his skeleton lock into place while his muscles relaxed, entering a state similar to meditation. He found that the best way to keep Rey out was to clear his mind of any distractions while forcibly locking away any other memories. The best way to block out other memories was to meditate on the meaning of something loud and distracting - in this case, he was in his TIE Fighter, blasting enemies out of the sky.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He felt her prodding and poking at his focus, trying to find a way to breach his defenses. He couldn’t help himself - He projected his voice into her mind. “That won’t work, <em>padawan</em>,” he teased. She hated it when he referred to himself as her mentor or teacher and even more when he called her a student. He thought it was rather cute. He felt her retreat but didn’t give up entirely.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Suddenly, the noise in his head became louder and more overwhelming. It was as if she was hammering into him from all angles at once, interrupting his focus. His TIE fighter in space became their showdown in the desert, which became the two of them standing in that arid landscape fighting over the transport pod.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Which was just calm and quiet enough of a memory that she was able to slip past his defenses.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He felt her reach past his barriers and he growled to himself, vainly trying to strengthen the walls she had already gotten past and push her back out. The damned girl had won their mental fight, and he’d pay the price for it. He started to back down, but felt her continue to open doors, deeper and deeper into his mind. He desperately projected that she needed to stop and that she had won. The urge to use his dark side powers made his fingers twitch in his lap, but he resisted. He gathered all his mental energy and forced her out, letting out an audible yell as he opened his eyes and fell back, staring at her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She had a hand stretched out towards him still and her eyes were open in shock. Ben looked up at her desperately, looking for an answer. Why the hell would she do that? What was that all about? She shook herself out of the position, looking down at him. He immediately caught the pink tone creeping over her face. What the hell did she see in there? He had plenty of things that would disturb her in one way or another - especially if she went that deep into his mind.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She rose from where she was sitting, still blushing, and looked down at her feet. She didn’t say anything. In fact, her eyes were darting back and forth, as if looking for words to say.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He rose up to meet her. “What the hell was that, Rey? I thought this was just an exercise. What got into you?” He still felt small sparks on his fingertips as he came down from his anger, keeping his emotions at a low simmer. Internally, a small part of him was proud that he was able to keep control over himself this time.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She looked up at him, but only for a second before looking back down. “Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. To do that.” He knew she could feel his hurt and frustration. “I really didn’t mean it, Ben. I got, got greedy, is all. I won’t do it again. I… I need to go.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And with that, she rushed from the cave, leaving Ben staring after her, nursing his aching head with a hand. What the hell had gotten into her?</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">———</span>
</p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ben laid in bed awake, staring at the ceiling. Rey had skipped their nightly chat tonight - an unbroken ritual since she had landed on this godforsaken planet. She was his only friend in the world and he couldn’t help but feel abandoned. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He waited for her by the fire, but she never came to him. At first he considered exploring the island to find her, worried she might have been hurt or gotten lost, but as he was putting out the fire she walked past him without a word. She barely looked at him, and when she did she had that same strange expression as before.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Ben frowned deeply and turned his face into the pillow. Rey had always been a mystery to him, but never more than now. Perhaps she had seen something horrible. Maybe she had seen him kill or maim or burn villages with his own hands. Maybe she saw the death of Han Solo from his perspective. Maybe she thought him a lowly monstrous thing now that she knew he felt no hesitation or remorse in the moment. He audibly winced and buried his face deeper into the pillow. What the hell was he to do now?</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Eventually, sleep overtook his anxious mind and dreams became his reality. He was in the Falcon as it flew to an unknown destination, the stars and distant planets its only companions. He was leaning against the doorway to the cockpit, mesmerized by the view of space. Space had always fascinated him - it’s why he wanted to be a pilot when he was younger. But before he could fall too deep into its depths, a voice rang out to him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It should be alright on autopilot for a while,” it reported. His gaze shifted to the figure sitting in the chair who had begun to stand up. Rey. She was smiling at him, her nose all scrunched and her freckles almost glowing. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He smiled back at her unashamedly. This was a dream, after all. She gracefully escaped the pilot’s seat and stood in front of him, looking up at him through her lashes. “Which means we can get some sleep.” She laid her hands gently on his chest, edging her body closer to his. His hands ghosted her hips as he watched her face like a hawk, memorized every muscle of her face. This was heaven.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“W-we?” He stumbled, as if he had never spoken before.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Of course. The bunk <em>is</em> big enough for two… If you want.” On the last word, she pressed her breasts into his chest and slid her hands up to wrap around the back of his neck. He instinctively held her against him, ducking his head to lean against hers. He allowed himself to swim in her essence. She felt so good in his arms just like he knew she would. And she was somehow more beautiful this close.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“God… Rey…” He dared to tip his head down further so his nose brushed against hers with the lightest of touches. He had never been this close to her so he knew his mind was making up what she looked like this close. The way her lips looked so soft had to be an invention of his mind. The way she raked her hands through his hair felt better than any touch he had ever been given before.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And the way she tasted against his lips was another world entirely. The sweet way she rose up on her toes to capture his lips was so natural, like they had done it a thousand times before. The way their bodies just seemed to fit together as he pulled her in closer was something out of a fairytale. His senses were electrified when he felt her tongue against his. It was as if the force was flowing through them, positive and negative poles, absolute magnetism. At the thought of that, Ben couldn’t help but roll his hips toward her. Their lips finally parted and she smirked at him.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“God, if only you were so brazen in real life,” she teased, taking him by the hand and walking towards the bedroom on the Falcon.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He nearly floated as he walked with her, still dazed and satiated, until her words snapped him back like a rubber band. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Her smirk immediately faded and the two stared at each other. Now that he really looked… She was more clear than anything else here. </span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Kriff,” they both whispered. The dream ended there, leaving Ben’s eyes to snap open.</span>
</p>
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